Body Count have unleashed a cover of the Pink Floyd classic “Comfortably Numb,” featuring guitarwork from the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame band’s David Gilmour himself. The official music video can be seen below.
The track will appear on Body Count’s upcoming album, Merciless, which is set to arrive on November 22nd. The rap-metal band puts a new spin on the Pink Floyd song, with new lyrics delivered by frontman Ice-T.
“For me, ‘Comfortably Numb’ is an introspective song — it’s me acknowledging that I’m older now,” stated Ice-T. “I’m telling the younger generation, you’ve got two choices: you can keep the fire burning or you can give up. It’s me trying to make sense of what’s happening, but also pointing out that we’re all in a place where we don’t have to face reality.”
He continued, “We’ve got flat-screen TVs and popcorn, and we can just sit back and watch the chaos of the world like it’s a TV show. It doesn’t feel real until it shows up at your door. I’m a little numb, too — we all are.”
Gilmour added, “Body Count’s version of ‘Comfortably Numb’ is quite radical, but the words really struck me. It astonishes me that a tune I wrote almost 50 years ago is back with this great new approach. They’ve made it relevant again”
The Pink Floyd legend went on to say, “The initial contact from Ice-T was for permission to use the song, but I thought I might offer to play on it as well. I like the new lyrics. They’re talking about the world we’re living in now, which is quite scary.”
Gilmour also said he hopes to play the song live with Body Count one day, having missed a recent chance: “Ice-T and Body Count played in London recently. Sadly, I couldn’t make it, but if another opportunity came up to play with them, I’d jump at it.”
Fans can catch Body Count performing at the Aftershock festival. Watch the music video for “Comfortably Numb” featuring David Gilmour below.
Editor’s Note: This article was updated to include the official music video released on October 10th.